Especially in the presence of fatty or sugary foods, many of us feel like our stomachs control our brains. Now, University of Cambridge zoologist Paola Cognigni shows you exactly how the brain and gut function as an anatomical circuit in the body of a fruit fly — and this can shed light on the human brain/gut connection, too.

Says Cognigni:

This video shows the anatomical and functional connection between the brain and the gut in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This work is carried out in Dr Irene Miguel-Aliaga's lab in the Department of Zoology as part of a research project that aims to find and explain the interactions between internal organs and their importance in growth and health.

The brain is about 700 microns wide (the entire image is something like 1600 microns across): about the size of a pencil tip. The image was taken on the Zoology Dept Imaging Facility on a Leica SP5 confocal system.

This is the thirteenth in a series of videos called Under the Microscope, which io9 is posting in partnership with scientists at University of Cambridge. Under the Microscope is a collection of videos that capture glimpses of the natural and artificial world in stunning close-up. They will be released every Monday and Thursday for the next couple of months, and you can see the whole series here.